Raphaël Lessard Racing Signs with KBR Development for an ARCA Series Race
March 9th, 2019 – Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway
St-Joseph-de-Beauce (Quebec, Canada) – February 22nd, 2019. Young and promising Raphaël Lessard has added an important race to his 2019 calendar. On March 9th, he will be on track on the Five Flags Speedway in the ARCA series (Pensacola 200), in a car prepared by the KBR Development team. After three seasons during which the young driver has done wonders, especially behind the wheel of Super Late Model cars, Raphaël Lessard is turning this year to heavier and more powerful cars in series such as ARCA and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck.
This race at Five Flag Speedway (Pensacola, Florida) augurs well for the young driver, who will be in his 7th race on this 0.8 km oval track that he knows well. Finding the right settings will be made easier during testing, qualifying, and pit stops.
His driving skills, already at the top level, will also be optimized, as he demonstrated last December during the Snowball Derby, the most important Super Late Model race in America, also held at Pensacola. After leading 60 laps at the end of the race, Raphaël Lessard had to retire with six (6) laps to go, due to an oil leak.
In addition, Raphaël Lessard already knows the members of the KBR Development team, having raced with them in 2018 at Jukasa (Hagersville, Ontario) in a Pro Late Model car, an experience that will facilitate on-track communications within the driver-crew chief – spotter. The team members already have well-established relationships, and the tests scheduled for February 28th will only strengthen these relationships.
Raphaël Lessard voiced his enthusiasm for the project. “I am impressed by the strength of my team. They understand the keys to ARCA racing and what’s going on in my head. I already feel comfortable starting the new season and showing everyone my true potential in winning cars.
“I know I’ll quickly get used to the extra 700 pounds and 150 horsepower of ARCA cars compared to the Super Late Model I’m used to. I know we can ride among the leading pack in Pensacola, especially with my physical and mental preparation,” said the driver, convinced of the good results that will come.
KBR Development owner Mike Bursley shares the positive attitude of the young driver. “We are all very excited about this new step in our ARCA series program. Raphaël Lessard is a promising and exciting driver, and we are proud to count him among our drivers for a very important race for him and our team,” said the owner and team leader of KBR Development.
Pre-Race Program
This week marks the beginning of a very busy season for Raphaël Lessard, with a trip to KBR’s workshop to adjust the seat. In addition, he will be attending the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race this weekend (February 23rd) in Atlanta as a crew member of Kyle Busch Motorsports team, to familiarize himself with the process and features of this type of event.
Sources: KBRDevelopment.com